The Radio Show, co-produced by the RAB and NAB, is being held in Austin, September 5 to 8. The Radio Show is the one event every year where managers and salespeople gather for three days for mountains of training, mentoring, and networking. If you go, you will be miles ahead of your competitors when you go return home to your market. There’s no doubt about it.
Beasley Media Director of Sales Steve Triplett is on the Steering Committee and focused on sales and marketing. Radio Ink spoke to Steve about this year’s show, what’s in store for attendees, and why you should break out your plastic and educate yourself in an increasingly competitive environment for the consumers’ ears and the advertisers’ dollars.
Radio Ink: What specifically will the Radio Show have this year for sellers and managers?
Steve Triplett: This year’s Radio Show is packed with content designed to immerse sellers and managers in discussions about the most important issues we face as an industry. We’re bringing innovative thinkers to speak on topics such as how to win in the new media economy, how to attract and keep new business, embracing digital sales, and dealing with the complexities of multi-platform campaigns.
Radio Ink: What was your goal when organizing the agenda for sellers and managers? What are you hoping they will go home with?
Steve Triplett: We put a lot of thought into the key challenges facing sales professionals right now and distilled it down to five core themes: evolving the sales process, time management, talent recruitment, digital proficiency, and automotive business development. Each session focuses on one of these themes but with varying formats to keep things interesting. One session features multiple experts giving quick-talks, presenting in 18 minutes or less. We’ll also have panel discussions and keynotes. The goal is for everyone to walk out with tactics they can put to use immediately back at the office.
Radio Ink: What are the biggest challenges salespeople face today?
Steve Triplett: The profession today requires exponentially more product knowledge than it used to. We go to market with more products and services than ever, and sellers must be proficient with all of them. It also requires a deeper understanding of marketing than was acceptable in the past. Our customers often understand the tools as well as we do. What they are looking for is people who can help them use those tools profitably, which is an entirely different skill than explaining what they do. Another major challenge is focus. It’s difficult to be good at anything when you are constantly changing direction. As the complexity of the business has increased, so have the demands on sellers’ time. Today’s advertising sales professionals must be extremely deliberate about how they plan their day and ruthlessly protect the time they set aside to grow revenue.
Radio Ink: If you were to pick out a few sessions that sellers must attend, what would they be?
Steve Triplett: I wouldn’t miss the “Sales Consultant Series” on Wednesday morning. You’ll see six experts giving quick, back-to-back talks on topics like personal positioning, embracing digital sales, evolving beyond product-based sales, and more. It will be a concentrated dose of the best thinking from multiple thought leaders in a very engaging format. I also think “Driving Results for Car Dealers” is a must-see. There’s just nothing like getting feedback and insights directly from the advertisers we serve. We’re going to drill down deep with leaders from the automotive industry to find out what they like, don’t like, and need to see more of in order to trust us with bigger shares of their budgets.
Radio Ink: Same question for managers?
Steve Triplett: Anyone in management needs to attend “Attracting and Retaining Top Sales Talent.” Nothing else we do matters if we don’t have the right people on the bus. I would also highly recommend “Getting It All Done Without Losing Your Mind,” which is focused on radical time management. As managers, we often feel guilty setting guidelines and boundaries with our time because we feel compelled to be available on-demand for our teams. But reactively leaping from fire to fire can kill productivity and prevent us from working on high-value tasks that move the business forward. This session will provide a framework for taking back control of your most valuable asset.
Radio Ink: Anything on tap for all of the new competition salespeople are facing?
Steve Triplett: Absolutely. There will be several speakers focusing on how to differentiate your approach in a hyper-competitive marketplace. Sellers and managers will learn techniques for adopting a more marketing-oriented mindset so they can be perceived as solution providers amongst the sea of product peddlers.
Radio Ink: What about digital? How should salespeople approach digital sales?
Steve Triplett: Digital has evolved past the point where it was basically an upsell to our traditional products. Clients have become more sophisticated and are no longer happy to buy digital simply because it’s the trendy thing to do. They expect us to come in with deep expertise. They expect us to show them not just metrics, but how they can draw a straight line from the metrics to increased revenue. These are the issues we’ll be tackling in our “Get Your Digital Marketing in Shape or Die” session where subject matter experts from leading companies discuss how they’ve built profitable digital businesses serving local customers.
Radio Ink: Why should people reading this interview attend the Radio Show in Austin this year?
Steve Triplett: Our business is more exciting than ever, but it’s also evolving rapidly. Just showing up at the office every day isn’t enough to keep up. The Radio Show is a rare opportunity to remove yourself from the day-to-day, clear your mind, and learn from some of the brightest thinkers in our space. You’re going to leave with a bunch of notes and an action list you can’t wait to implement when you get back. You’re also going to connect with other professionals that have the same drive and ambition to succeed that you do. The evolution of our business is going to create amazing rewards for those who stay ahead of the curve, and I can’t think of a better place to do that than at this year’s Radio Show in Austin!
For more details on the Radio Show GO HERE.
The Radio Ink Radio Wayne Awards will be held at the Radio Show on Thursday, September 7 at the Advertiser Breakfast.
